Tania Nugent: After making it big on the international stage in both rugby union and rugby league, Samoan sporting legend Freddie Tuilagi has decided to give back to the country he loves so much, taking on the role of coach.

Freddie Tuilagi: There's a lot of talented boys in Samoa, it's just a matter of giving them directions giving them coaching.

Tania Nugent: Samoa's Rugby League 7s team, the Toa Samoa are being put through their paces, preparing for the Pacific Mini Games tournament in the Cook Islands, under the watchful eye of coach Freddie Tuilagi.

Paul Chan Tung - Toa Samoa captain: He's got a lot of respect from all the boys and everyone back home. He's like a legend back home, in rugby and rugby league.

Tania Nugent: FreddieTuilagi debuted in international rugby union in 1991, representing Samoa in the Rugby World Cup. After 5 seasons in Samoa, he was signed by a UK Rugby League Club.

Freddie Tuilagi: I switched to rugby league. I played for Halifax and St Helens and then I switched back to rugby union and played for Leicester Tigers.

Tania Nugent: It's Freddie's experience and success switching between the two rugby codes at the professional level , that makes his role developing rugby league in Samoa so exciting.

Freddie Tuilagi: Rugby union is very big in Samoa. That's our national game.

Paul Chan Tung: We've been playing rugby union all our lives and just recently, like a year ago that we been playing rugby league. Yeah, rugby union and rugby league. One week we'll be playing rugby union and next week we'll be playing rugby league.

Freddie Tuilagi: They play rugby union one week and they turn up for the Toa Samoa against PNG and you know PNG, I think they are 4th in the rugby league international and for them to turn up and win that game, that's pretty good.

Paul Chan Tung: He treats the players well. He looks after them, because he was a player back in the day, so he knows where the players are coming from.

Freddie Tuilagi: I developed my rugby back in Samoa. I didn't play much rugby overseas, I only played '91 world cup when I was still playing schoolboy rugby back home. So all these guys they all learned their rugby from Samoa none of these guys play overseas.

There's a lot of islander boys playing top NRL clubs in Australia and most of the clubs in the UK, so there is a great opportunity for these guys to step up on another level of professionalism and earn a good living.

I'm a proud Samoa boy from back in the islands who grew up in a little village. To make it over in the UK and play professional rugby and make a living and then come back and help these guys out, I feel very honoured and proud.

Paul Chan Tung: As a person, he's out going. He's friendly towards everyone, you know. It's good to have him inspire everyone, he's got that tattoo as well, that traditional tattoo, and as you all know, like back in the day, those that had tattoos they were like warriors. So he's like a warrior to us and we look up to him.